Analyzing Cosmic Ray Elemental Spectra

Various balloon-borne and space-based experiments have provided direct measurements of cosmic-ray elemental spectra for a wide energy range. Compiled for an element range from $\textrm{ Z } = 1 \textrm{ to } 14$ over an energy range of ${\sim 2} \textrm{ - } {2 \times 10^5}$ GeV/n, the data were fit with a simple power-law $F = CE^{-\gamma}$ over small energy intervals. To examine the energy dependence of the individual fluxes of each element, detailed variations of the spectral indices were obtained as a function of energy in a model-independent way. Elements are classified into groups based on their energy-dependent behavior. Differences among groups will be presented and their implications will be discussed.